PROJECT SUBJECT MATTERS: Fiber Arts, Visual Arts and Crafts, Performing Arts

In order to more clearly and consistently define our 4-H projects, an effort is being made to entitle them by subject matter rather than by titles of manuals or supporting curricula. Such is the case you may have noticed with the "Fiber Arts" project. During its first year (2003-2004) "Heritage Arts" and "Heritage Fiber Arts" were used as titles in publications. This resulted in confusion with some exhibit categories in the former subject area of "Arts and Crafts" as well as award areas. Therefore, please note that on the new 4-H

Enrollment Card Side B (MG-3B Revised/June 2004), in the "Project Selection Guide" issue of the Kansas 4-H Journal, and in 4-H recognition communications counties/districts have received that these titles have been revised to reflect these changes. Each are separate project subjects. "Fiber Arts" now has its own state awards program and "Visual Arts and Crafts" and "Performing Arts" are combined into one state awards program. Gerhard                    

Kansas Youth Leadership Forum - registration forms and fees are due in the State 4-H Office by October 15, or with an additional fee of $20 per person can be submitted through the 22nd. Track sessions and consulting groups are filled on a first-come - first served basis, so send the completed forms and registration fees as soon as you receive them.
Counties/Districts with delegates and youth council candidates will receive additional information about the conference after registration is complete. Hinshaw/Wiebers

2005 Kansas 4-H Youth Leadership Council applications are due October 15. Candidates for Youth Council must attend the Forum full time, Friday evening - through Sunday morning. Hinshaw/Wiebers

The New 4-H Collectibles - We had an excellent response on the New Animals, Ornaments and Denim Goods at the State Fair. Please check the 4-H Youth Development website for information about ordering denim jackets, aprons and tote bags. The Tie Dye Gang Animals from 2003 are on sale at a reduced price. Some of the animals and ornaments are in short supply so you may want to call prior to ordering. The Youth Council thanks everyone for their continued support of these sales. Hinshaw

Collegiate 4-H Update -  Collegiate 4-H is off to a great start this fall with lots of new faces! The club is still accepting dates to conduct Officer Training sessions for counties. However, please avoid the dates of October 8-12, 2004 due to multiple listings, and also avoid October 22-24 so the members will be able to attend their Collegiate 4-H Regional meeting held in Lincoln, NE this year. Please contact Gayla Eubank to schedule officer training sessions at gre4343@ksu.edu or at 785-587-9943.

The Collegiate 4-H club is also continuing to sell their cookbooks, the current price is $5.00. These are also available at the State Fair in Hutchinson this fall. Dobesh

Please contact me Cheryl Thomas at the State 4-H Office, 785-532-5800, cthomas@oznet.ksu.edu if you have questions. Thomas

Pilot "4-H Treasures" Curriculum Sampler for grades 2-4 -  Explore the Treasures of 4-H! Do you work with youth who aren't familiar with 4-H? Are you interested in introducing new projects to younger youth in your program? Do you have youth who are interested in 4-H but can't decide what type of project to take? 

If you answered yes to any of these questions, there is an exciting new 4HCCS project being developed to meet your needs. "Exploring the Treasures of 4-H" consists of a Youth Guide and a Group Activity Guide to introduce youth ages 7-9 to 4-H. The Youth Guide is designed for youth to complete on their own to learn about 4-H, 4-H projects, activities, history and 4-H excitement! The Group Activity Guide is a collection of activities from each of the nine curriculum areas in which there are 4-H projects. There are over 60 activities in the Helper's Guide. Youth work on these activities with their adult helper to learn more about the variety of project topics available in 4-H. In short, The Group Activity Guide is a curriculum sampler for our younger current and prospective 4-H'ers.

We need your help to make sure these activities are fun, appropriate for the target age-group, meet the needs of diverse youth, teach the targeted life skills and are easy to comprehend for youth and adult helpers.

We need youth who are willing to complete the activities in the Youth Guide and adult helpers who are willing to do a few of the activities in the Group Activity Guide with their youth groups. If you are interested or have interested groups in your state, please complete the attached Pilot Confirmation Form by October 1, 2004 indicating interest in piloting specific curriculum areas. Claudia Mincemoyer, Design Team Evaluation Chair, will contact you with information on how to access the pilot materials on the Web and complete the on-line evaluation. All activities must be piloted and evaluations completed by January 30, 2005. Pilot sites will receive a complimentary copy of the curriculum when completed.

Please contact Claudia Mincemoyer, cxm324@psu.edu if you have questions about the pilot. McNally

A Junior Master Gardener Teacher/Leader Training  - will be held Saturday, October 23, 2004, from 9:00am to 1:00pm, at the Central Park Lodge in Andover, Kansas. The Lodge is located one mile east of the intersection of Central and Andover Roads. 

The workshop includes information on the Junior Master Gardener program and hands-on activities from the Junior Master Gardener curriculum. Participants will also learn how to plan and develop a school or youth garden program. 

This program is open to all interested teachers, extension agents, Master Gardeners, 4-H leaders, and volunteers, and is recommended for anyone working with a Junior Master Gardener group. After the workshop there will be an optional tour of the Bluestem/Leon Elementary School Garden and Greenhouse in Leon, Kansas. 

Please register by contacting Larry Crouse, Butler County Extension Office, 316-321-9660 or lcrouse@oznet.ksu.edu or Beth Drescher, Sedgwick County Extension Office, 316-722-7721 ext. 112 or drescher@oznet.ksu.edu. The workshop if free, but reservations must be made by Monday, October 18.  Neier

4HCCS Materials -  The following new and revised products plus regularly printed orders from last spring should be arriving in Manhattan within the next month. Distribution will then prepare them to be sent or picked up by local Extension offices based on your requests. 

Child Development Consumer Savvy 
Entrepreneurship
Forestry
Horse
Outdoor Adventure
Rabbit
Sewing Expressions
Swine
Theatre Arts
Veterinary Science

A special order form for Microwave will be provided as soon as this set is completed.

Thanks for your assistance piloting and promoting these materials. Adams

National 4-H Week Media Tools Available on the Web - The theme of National 4-H Week, October 3-9, 2004, is 4-H Online! in recognition of 4-H’s leadership among youth development organizations using the Internet and the launch of 4husa.org, a web site exclusively for, by and about youth. Media tools to promote National 4-H Week are still available at http://www.4husablogs.org/national4-hweek2004 .

4-H clubs and county/district and state 4-H programs will be able to showcase their websites to the media and will be asked to cross promote 4-husa.org during National 4-H Week. Media tools include a customizable media alert and a customizable news release, digital photos of the 4-HUSA Web Crew, links to the 4-H emblem and its graphic standards, tips to get great media coverage for 4-H and ideas for 4-H Online! events. Mack

Strengthening 4-H Clubs Training - Strengthening 4-H Clubs Training is set for Tuesday, December 14 in Emporia or Wednesday, December 15 in Scott City.

Today, 4-H comes in many forms and sizes, but the club model still remains our flagship program. Picture a small group of kids working with at least one caring adult, learning things of interest, developing life skills and contributing to their community.

Experience tells us it is still relevant to today's youth and families.

Strong management and attention to detail are the foundation to successful 4-H clubs that meet the needs of members, where members are eager to join, where families are excited about 4-H and where members and adults willingly volunteer to work.

Plan to join us, as we spend time focusing on Strengthening 4-H Clubs. The purpose of this training is to strengthen our capacity to work with adults and youth to develop and support strong, effective 4-H Clubs. Topics will include the latest research on characteristics of successful (strong) 4-H Clubs; creating a positive environment; making club meetings that youth choose to attend and sharing program management tools for club organization and operation.

You’ll go home with new resources and ideas to share with your club leaders. Registration fee is $10 which includes lunch. More details will be sent at a later date, but reserve either December 14 or 15 on your calendar and plan to attend. This training is supported through an Epsilon Sigma Phi Innovation Grant. Mack/Buchele/Hinshaw/Barker

PSSSSSST...... PASS IT ON - As we start another 4-H year, encourage your 4-H families to share the secret of how fun and exciting 4-H can be by asking a friend to join 4-H. 4-H Marketing Action team members wrote the recruitment issue of the Kansas 4-H Journal for current 4-H families to pass on to a new family.

The recruitment issue is filled with exciting articles explaining the benefits of 4-H. Included is a personal letter from one parent to another, written by Shelly Sexton, action team member and 4-H mom from Dickinson County. Inside too are lots of photos of 4-H kids in action.

We encourage you to include an article in your 4-H newsletter reminding families to pass the recruitment issue on and get it into the hands of a prospective 4-H family. With their personal invitation and testimony of the impact 4-H has had on their family, how can others say no.

All of the recruitment issue articles are on the state 4-H web page under Resources>Marketing. Please feel free to use them to help you in your marketing efforts. Mack

2004 4HCCS Product Preview - Sunday,Oct.31,2004 in Oklahoma City.  Come early to NAE4-HA and get a sneak preview of the products coming from 4HCCS next fall (2005)! For only $50 you will be treated to a lunch and sample material with an opportunity to help pilot test. Products being reviewed are:

Beef
Dog
Communications
Small Engines
Service Learning
Latino Cultural Arts Arts
Health & Fitness
Cat
Dairy Cattle
Citizenship
Exploring 4-H
Workplace Readiness
Advanced Visual Arts
Register online before Oct.1, 2004!!!!!!!!  Adams

 State 4-H Volunteer Forum -  November 20-21.  Registration information has been sent to Extension Offices and is available on the web, announcing the theme, schedule, and activities that will take place at the annual State 4-H Volunteer Forum at Rock Springs. Many of you have identified "volunteer development" as a key issue or need in your 4-H program. Sending a delegation of volunteers to the State 4-H Volunteer Forum may be one way that you can begin to meet the training needs of your volunteers! 

One exciting component at the forum takes place when the Volunteers Forum and the KYLF Participants share an exciting "21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership".  McNally

Agents Needed for Discovery Days Action Team - We're looking for a few good agents! If you would like to have an influence on the direction of future 4-H Discovery Days or would like to know more about specific areas we need help, please contact Justin Wiebers at 785-532-5800 or jwiebers@ksu.edu.

Win a Trip to Discovery Days!
The Discovery Days Action Team is looking for a design concept for the 2005 Discovery Days t-shirts. The winner will receive a free registration for the 2005 Discovery Days! The theme will be "Get a Life" with a tag line of "Live It Up!" Designs may be up to 3 colors and must be large enough to be viewed by selection committee but no larger than 8" x 1'". The contest is open to all youth 14-19 years old. Design concepts are due December 1, 2004. Mail to the State 4-H Office or email jwiebers@ksu.edu. Submissions must include name, contact information, county or district and date of birth. Wiebers

Kansas City Global Conference - 2005 Kansas City 4-H Global Conference will be March 9-12 at the Airport Hilton Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri. Registration information will be on the web for local offices in mid-October and will be due in the State 4-H Office by December 10. The quota on the delegates has been eliminated, but delegates may only attend the conference one time in their 4-H career. Wiebers/Hinshaw

4-HPRKC - The newly revised 4-H Professional Research, Knowledge and Competencies (4-H PRKC, 2004) model provides a road map for the 4-H youth development workforce of the future and is available on the web. The most current and comprehensive research and knowledge representing the field of 4-H youth development has been compiled in this latest study. It also identifies the current and emerging competencies that are essential to conducting 4-H youth development programs. The results of the study are a key resource for:

• Individuals preparing for a career in the field of youth development

• People just entering the 4-H workforce or returning to 4-H

• Designing job descriptions or hiring new youth workers

• Designing training and learning experiences for 4-H educators and volunteer staff

• Building individual learning plans or performance standards

• Focusing on strategies critical to attracting, developing and retaining an outstanding, diverse 4-H workforce

• Adding value to individual career development

• Professional association initiatives

• Increasing research and evaluation efforts for 4-H youth development

Wiebers

New Web Site Highlights - Hopefully you've had a chance to use the new Kansas 4-H website before reading this month's Tip Sheet.  In case you haven't had a chance to explore the new site, here are a few new or special features you may want to look for:
Clover Clipart Gallery
Resource Library
Calendar
Wiebers

4HCCS Revisions For 2006 Needs Your Input - The following curricula will be revised in 2006: Bicycle, Computer, Dairy Goat, Moving Ahead and Sheep. 

Please go to http://www.n4hccs.org/ and click on 2006 Product Revision Surveys, then select the curriculum you'd like to give feedback on. You will be linked to an online Zoomerang survey instrument.

Thanks for helping us continually improve the CCS curricula!  Adams

4-H Exhibit Building Update - Work is under way to begin remodeling the 4-H Exhibit Building at the State Fairgrounds! We have some great opportunities to redesign our exhibit displays. If you have seen some innovative and effective display designs or have other ideas, please email them to jwiebers@ksu.edu. The new building is slated to have air conditioning at both ends, the potential for tempered-air in the main area, improved lighting, brighter paint schemes, new metal and masonry siding and a host of other improvements. 

A 4-H Painting Party is being planned for late July or early August. 4-H members, Volunteers, and Agents will be invited to help with this wonderful transformation! Watch future Tip Sheets for details!  Wiebers